


Silver & Gold

by sundrowned



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Cats, F/F, Female Harry Styles, Female Louis Tomlinson, Gender or Sex Swap, Genderswap, Kissing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-13
Updated: 2015-05-13
Packaged: 2018-03-30 08:47:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3930475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sundrowned/pseuds/sundrowned
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Female Harry/Louis fic involving cats and kissing.</p><p>Louise works for her father's animal shelter, and new girl Harriette assigns herself the task of convincing Louise that cats are awesome.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Silver & Gold

**Author's Note:**

  * For [stylesbandshirts](https://archiveofourown.org/users/stylesbandshirts/gifts).



Louise always found something very therapeutic about putting on makeup. Something calming about brushing the glittery silver powder over her lids, smoothing the raspberry colored gloss over her lips. There was something very nice about it, paying all your attention to one part of yourself, even if for just a few minutes. She liked to just sit there on focus on it.

The pale, early morning sunlight washed over her face and illuminated her vivid blue eyes in the small hand mirror she held up. Her eyes seemed to glow against the backdrop of her dim bedroom.

"Are you almost ready, Hun?" Louise's fathers soft, raspy voice floated in from the hallway.

Louise nodded and grabbed her purse before following her father out to the car. A thin layer of wispy morning fog hung low above the dew-covered grass. The sky was a light shade of pinkish grey.

Louise's father had owned the only pet shelter in town for the last ten years, and she'd taken a job taking care of the feline residents when she turned fourteen. Louise had been more than happy to do it, too, seeing as she loved cats. But in the space of the three years she'd worked there, she had come to hate them. With all that time spent caring for them, she couldn't help but notice the smug arrogance that a cat naturally gives off. It's subtle, but you do notice it after a while - just a little _'I'm better than you'_ aura that cats have. Like they can't be bothered.

But it was still a job, and it was still a paycheck. So Louise cared for each and every cat in their shelter to the best of her ability. It was quite a lot of work for just one person.

"Oh, by the way, did you ever look into hiring a new person to help me out with the cats?" Louise asked as they backed out of the driveway.

"Oh!" her father exclaimed suddenly. "Oops. I forgot to tell you, didn't I?"

"Tell me what?"

"I did hire someone actually. They're starting today."

"Today?! Wow, could've used a little bit of a warning!"

"I know, I know. It completely slipped my mind. I'm sorry."

Louise sighed. "Either way though, that's great. I could really use the help."

"Yeah, I know. Hopefully you get along."

Louise nodded.

 _'Hopefully they don't suck too much.'_ , Louise thought to herself.

 

*

 

Louise began digging the small plastic shovel into the tub of dry cat food. She poured a scoopful into a dish and stooped down in front of one of the cages, pinching the door clasp between two fingers to open it. The newest feline addition to their shelter, a rather surly Persian named Chester, stared blankly as Louise scooted the food toward him.

"Eat up."

"Um.. hello?" said a voice from behind Louise.

It was so sudden that she almost fell backward.

Louise craned her neck around to see where the voice had come from.

A tall, thin girl stood watching her. Her eyes were a light shade of greenish blue with gold eye shadow shimmering around them, bringing out flecks of yellow in them. Her chocolate brown hair hung in loose curls down to her shoulders. She smiled as Louise stood up.

"I'm Harriette. The new girl."

Louise was staring. Her jaw dropped as she admired the stunning girl before her.

"I - I'm Louise. I run this wing of the shelter. Well, I mean, not like I boss anyone around 'cause no one else works in this wing, but ... I'm in charge of the cats. Of course, you work here now, though. So does that mean I'm in charge of you? I'll have to ask my dad about that. Not that I would boss you around but, uh ..." Louise was saying a lot of things very quickly.

Harriette seemed to be taking in all of that information. She nodded.

"Well lets get to the cats! Can I meet them?"

"Of course. Right this way." Louise led Harriette through a set of double doors.

 _'_ _I'm in charge of the cats. Did I really just say that?'_ , Louise thought to herself.

Harriette approached the first cage and quickly opened the door and reached in. She gently picked up the young brown and white tabby named Felix and held him close to her chest. She pulled her fingers through his fur.

"Cats are the best. Don't you just love them?"

"Well ... not really, honestly. I'm more of a dog person." Louise blurted out.

Harriette rolled her huge, blue marble-like eyes up to stare at Louise. She laughed, a sound that reminded Louise of rain on a tin roof. "Seriously?"

"Um, yeah, ... I kind of hate cats." Louise bit her lip nervously and wondered if she should have said that.

"Huh. Well ... I bet I can change your mind. I bet that by the end of my first day here, I can prove to you how amazing cats are."

"Deal. What do I get if I win? What if you don't change my mind?"

"Anything you want."

Louise grinned. "Anything? Sounds good to me."

 

*

 

"Okay, I agree. That's amazing. But it doesn't quite change my mind about cats." said Louise.

Harriette had spent the better part of the last hour, with a good supply of treats and patience, to teach an American Shorthair to walk on two legs. Well, it was more like inching forward on two haunches, but it was still impressive.

"Oh come on! That just proved how smart and talented cats are. How can you not love them?"

"I don't know. I got less 'smart' and more 'hungry', from that."

"You're impossible. But, I don't give up that easy."

Harriette stood and joined Louise behind the counter. She placed a hand on each shoulder and squeezed gently. Louise could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks.

"Don't worry, I'll make you see reason." Harriette disappeared into the back room and returned a few minutes later, armed with two fuzzy kittens the color of an orange dreamsicle. "Lay down on the floor."

Louise raised an eyebrow but did as she was told. Harriette joined her, sitting criss cross on the carpet beside her.

"Now close your eyes."

Again, Louise followed instructions. Harriette then gently placed both kittens on Louise's face.

"What ... are you doing ... exactly..?" Louise mumbled through kitten fur.

"Shhh ... You have two kittens on your face. Life doesn't get much better than that. You _can't_ tell me that you hate cats now. You just can't."

"Well ... actually I -."

"Look how fuzzy!" Harriette said, cutting off Louise. They were both giggling now.

The kittens squirmed and made their way to Louise's neck. "Oh my God, that tickles." she said through her sporadic laughter.

Harriette was beaming as she watched, taking note of the huge smile spread across Louise's face. "I win."

Louise craned her neck up to see Harriette. The sunlight pouring in from the window lit up her bright blue eyes. Louise inhaled sharply. It was both breathtaking and distracting.

"Okay, fine. You win." Louise whispered. "But, come collect these things so I can get up."

Harriette scooped up the kittens and returned them to their cages. Louise stood and brushed herself off.

"But, to be fair, I think you cheated."

"Cheated?! No way! How?"

"Come on, that was so not playing fair! Those two kittens simply have not had time to attain the smug sense of superiority that a grown cat has. And they were so fuzzy. I was powerless."

"It's called bringing out the big guns! And it worked. So there."

"Okay, okay, fine."

Harriette chewed on her lip a minute, seemingly deep in thought. She twirled a dark lock of hair around her finger.

"Okay, how about we say it's a tie. We both win. That fair?" Harriette proposed.

"Hmm, okay. That sounds good to me. So, what was the prize again? Anything?"

Harriette laughed. "Yes, I believe that was it. How about I take a rain check on that. Never a bad thing to have people owe you." She winked at Louise.

"Okay, that's smart."

Harriette paused, watching Louise intently for a minute, as if she expected her to continue. "And what did you want to cash in for?" Harriette asked finally.

Louise hesitated. She knew what she _did_ want. More than anything, she just wanted to kiss Harriette.

Louise leaned in the slightest bit, and in that moment she could tell. It was so obvious in Harriettes eyes that she had not seen Louise in a romantic light. Louise searched the depth of the blue in them, coming up empty. Her best guess was that Harriette had never thought of girls in that way - and that she was completely oblivious that Louise had in fact been flirting with her all day.

Harriette waited for Louise to speak again.

Louise wanted to go for it. She wanted so badly to 'cash in' for a kiss and see where it went. See if Harriette wanted to explore the way it felt, and see if she, just maybe, could return the same feelings for Louise.

But Louise felt frozen. Her muscles were stricken with fear.

This could end very badly.

What if she freaked her out? What if she kissed Harriette and she was horrified, and ran screaming from the building?

Granted, it probably wouldn't be _quite_ that dramatic, but still.

Louise took a deep breath.

"Just this ..." Louise exhaled as she leaned in slowly.

Louise softly pressed her lips against Harriettes. Louise's head felt hazy, like it was filled with wispy clouds of fog. The only thing she could register was that Harriette's lips felt like the inside of a flower - smooth and delicate. She stayed unmoving, her lips were still but firmly pressed against the other girls.

Louise pulled back slowly, her eyes meeting Harriette's.

There wasn't an ounce of fear or rejection in them. Not even confusion. Louise was sure Harriette hadn't been expecting that, but maybe somehow it at least made sense. Louise hoped that Harriette was open minded enough to be able to understand that this was okay - that it was perfectly alright that they were attracted to each other.

They stared at one another, silently.

Louise could see that her raspberry tinted lip gloss had transferred onto Harriettes lips, staining them.

Finally, Harriette smiled.

It jump-started Louise's heart like a dead car engine attached to a pair of jumper cables. The rapid beating against her rib cage felt like a hummingbird was trapped inside her chest. Louise could feel that her cheeks were aflame.

Harriette reached out and took Louise's hand into her own. She whispered something then, breaking the silence.

"Wow."


End file.
